Spirit in the Sky – A Quick Read on The Song
Spirit in the Sky is the song composed by Norman Greenbaum in the late 60s that made history all around the world by lyrics, tune and cultural impact as well. The writer of Spirit in the Sky found his inspiration after listening to a gospel song on TV, and it took him no more than fifteen minutes to write the lyrics. It refers to the afterlife and the Christian experience in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Though, Greenbaum is Jewish and identifies himself as such, the Christian dimension of the song did not go unnoticed even if the author claimed that he had no religious intention to pour in the song.
The explanation for the Christian references to sinning that are obvious in Spirit in the Sky are explained by Greenbaum as an attempt to reach to broader audiences, particularly since the concept of evil doing is common to all cultures and religions, and it is far from being limited or regulated by Christianity only. In terms of sound print, the guitar is the dominant note in the musical economy of the song, and it is said that a Fender Telecaster with a fuzz box inside was used in order to generate the preponderance of the guitar sound.
The characteristics of Spirit in the Sky are amazing by the innovation in the sound: psychedelic rock music meets gospel in a combination of tambourines, hand clapping, great drum playing and distorted electric guitar. Though Spirit in the Sky song became a hit, its beginnings were pretty difficult as the record company showed increased reluctance towards producing it because of the uncommon lyrics and original style. Spirit in the Sky actually came to the rescue of the album on which it was included, since it followed two other single releases which were rated as failures. In a sort of way, the producing company felt compelled to try and save the boat, but even so they were far from anticipating the success of the song.
John Lennon, the famous Beatles member, expressed his great liking of Spirit in the Sky, while the Rolling Stones gave it only a 333rd place in the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Even so, the song hit the charts in Australia, Canada, USA and United Kingdom, and it made a statement that was to become a foundation stone for glam rock development and the more extensive usage of electronic technologies in music making. Due to its message and sound specificity, Spirit in the Sky applied to the necessities of film making too, being included in over twenty movies.